West Nile virus (WNV) was first discovered in Uganda in 1937 and spread across Africa, Asia, Europe, and, eventually, the Americas. Healthcare providers first reported cases of encephalitis later determined to be caused by West Nile virus to the New York City Department of Health in the summer of 1999. Investigators identified the illness as being caused by an arbovirus (a virus transmitted by arthropods). In this case, the arthropod was the mosquito.
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